Relative exploration and firm performance: Why resource-theory alone is not sufficient?

Abstract The resource-based theory states that having valuable, rare, inimitable, non-substitutable, and organized (VRIN-O) resources and capabilities give firms a sustainable performance. However, by integrating the attention-based view, we raise a question as to why VRIN-O resources alone are not sufficient for sustainable performance. We introduce the variable - decision-makers’ attention- as a key moderator in achieving sustainable performance so that VRIN-O/capability and capability/resource heterogeneity may last longer. To test this relationship, we examine how the needs of firms to balance their exploration and exploitation efforts, called relative exploration anchored to resource-based theory is influenced by CEO’s attention towards entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation as moderators. Using a panel data set of 269 firms listed on the Nordic NASDAQ stock exchange, we find an inverted U-shaped relationship between relative exploration and long-term performance, while the attentions of the CEO have a positive moderation effect. Thus, using the attention-based view complements the resource-based theory in explaining sustainable competitive advantage especially in the dynamic environment.